Teeth protecting device

ABSTRACT

A teeth-protecting device structured to cling to the teeth with sufficient tenacity to remain secure throughout oral exploration and/or corrective measures and yet to be removable without dislodging pre-existing dental repair work and/or weakly anchored teeth.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

The provision of mouth-protecting and/or teeth-protecting devices fordental, medical and athletic purposes are shown in the United Statespatents listed below wherein an arcuate channel of U-shaped crosssection is filled or partially filled with a matrix material forapplication to the teeth. The matrix material is designed to receive animpression of the teeth and to hold the channel in place. The principalobjection to the structure shown in these patents resides in the factthat when the structure is removed, the matrix clings to the teeth withsuch tenacity that repairs such as fillings, bridgework and the like areloosened or pulled free and weak or loose teeth may be pulled out. It isthe purpose of this invention to provide a tooth protecting device whichwill obviate these difficulties and to a method of protecting teethduring exploration and/or corrective procedures which will not adverselyaffect pre-existing dental work.

    ______________________________________                                        2,705,492          Chandler                                                   3,016,052          Zubren                                                     3,124,129          Greenberg                                                  3,236,235          Jacobs                                                     3,513,838          Foderick et al                                             3,864,832          Carlson                                                    ______________________________________                                    

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

As herein illustrated, the teeth-protecting device comprises incombination an arcuate channel member of U-shaped cross section definedby a bottom wall and upstanding spaced side walls comprising an innerside wall and an outer side wall and a matrix composition ofimpressionable self-curing to rubber-like consistency, capable ofconforming to the interior of the channel member and of receiving theimpression of the teeth prior to curing and of lightly adhering to boththe channel member and the teeth following curing, said channel beingseparable from the cured filling by peeling to leave the matrix intactand the matrix, in turn, being peelable from the teeth. The channelmember is comprised of a rigid yet flexible material which can be flexedto disengage it from the matrix and in one form the front wall of thechannel member contains arcuately-spaced, vertically-positioned lines ofweakness dividing it into sections which enable breaking the front wallsection-by-section away from the matrix. Desirably, the front wall ofthe channel contains arcuately-spaced, vertically-positioned slots whichenable peeling the portions of the wall between the slots away from thematrix. After peeling the channel member away from the matrix, thematrix, in turn, may be peeled away from the teeth. The inner side ofone of the walls of the channel members is desirably undercut andpreferably it is the inner side of the front wall. The front wall ishigher than the rear wall and the channel is open at both ends.

In accordance with the method of protecting teeth, a teeth-protectingdevice in the form of an arcuate, channel-shaped member of U-shapedcross section defined by a bottom wall and upstanding side walls filledwith the matrix of impressionable material capable of curing to arubber-like consistency is applied to the teeth, the matrix allowed tocure to hold the device in place during treatment and, after treatment,the device is removed by peeling the channel member from the matrix andthe matrix from the teeth.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference tothe accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the teeth-protecting device of thisinvention with the matrix omitted and showing slots in the front wall;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view like FIG. 1 with the matrix included;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of the device showing lines of weakness inthe front wall;

FIG. 4 is a section showing the device applied to the teeth; and

FIG. 5 illustrates the first step in removing the device from the matrixsection-by-section.

Referring to the drawings, the teeth-protecting device 10 of thisinvention is an arcuate channel-shaped member of U-shaped cross sectionthroughout its arcuate length. The channel-shaped member is defined by abottom wall 12, a front side wall 14 and a rear side wall 16. The endsof the channel-shaped member defined by the bottom and side walls areopen and, preferably, the inner side of the front wall is provided withan undercut or shoulder 20.

Within the channel-shaped member and functioning in combination with thechannel-shaped member is a matrix material 22 capable of receiving theindentation of the teeth 24 to which the device is applied forprotection, capable of curing to a rubber-like consistency and capableof clinging both to the channel-shaped member and to the teeth withsufficient intensity to retain the channel-shaped member and to retainthe teeth during normal exploratory and/or corrective measures carriedout by dental or medical practitioners.

An important aspect of this invention which distinguishes it from theaforesaid prior art is to use a matrix which will receive the impressionof the teeth without having to elevate its temperature to anuncomfortable degree and/or to employ solvents which are disagreeable,which will set up or cure at mouth temperature without becominguncomfortably rigid and which will cling both to the channel-shapedmember within which it is contained and to the teeth contained thereinwith sufficient tenacity to remain in place, but, at the same time, canbe removed without loosening pre-existing dental work and withoutloosening or pulling out weak or loose teeth. This is achieved in partby using a dental impression compound comprised of dimethylsiloxane-typedental compound which is elastomeric and resilient. Further, inaccordance with the invention, the channel-shaped member is made of amolded plastic which, while rigid, is sufficiently flexible so as toenable peeling it away from the matrix without applying a pull upon thematrix itself which would tend to loosen pre-existing dental work orpull loose already loose teeth. To facilitate the peeling away of thechannel-shaped member, the latter may be provided with arcuately-spaced,vertically-positioned lines of weakness 21 or slots 23 so that theportions 25 between the lines of weakness or slots can broken away fromeach other and peeled one-by-one away from the matrix without, at thesame time, applying a pulling force on the matrix itself which mightdislodge dental work or teeth. FIG. 5 diagrammatically illustratesdetaching portions 25 section-by-section so as to expose the matrix.After the portions 25 have been detached, it is easy to peel theremainder of the channel member away from the lower part of the matrixand, after this, to peel the matrix itself away from the teeth.

The device as thus described serves a very important improvement in theart over the prior art as described in the patents listed above whichare unacceptable for the several reasons enumerated, to wit, that somerequire heating the matrix to a temperature which is manifestlyundesirable from the standpoint of the patient, others requireunacceptably long periods for setting up to a condition such as toretain the impression of the teeth and so to remain in place, stillothers of which set up to a hardness which is not only uncomfortable forthe patient, but detrimental, and all of which so cling to the teeththat removal loosens and/or pulls out pre-existing dental work and looseor weak teeth.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purposeof illustration only and includes all modifications or improvementswhich fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A teeth-protecting device comprising incombination an arcuate channel member of U-shaped cross section definedby a bottom wall and upstanding, spaced side walls comprising an innerside wall and an outer side wall, and a matrix comprising animpressionable, self-curing to a rubber-like consistency material,capable of conforming to the interior of the channel member and ofreceiving the impression of the teeth prior to curing and of lightlyadhering to both the channel member and the teeth following curing, andwherein the outer side wall of the channel member containsarcuately-spaced, vertically-positioned slots which enable peeling theportion of the outer side wall between longitudinal slots away from thematrix to leave the matrix intact and the matrix, in turn, beingpeelable from the teeth.
 2. A teeth-protecting device according to claim1 wherein the inner side of one of the walls is undercut.
 3. Ateeth-protecting device according to claim 1 wherein the inner side ofthe front wall is undercut.
 4. A teeth-protecting device according toclaim 1 wherein the front wall is higher than the rear wall.
 5. Ateeth-protecting device according to claim 1 wherein the channel is openat both ends.
 6. The method of protecting teeth during oral explorationand/or corrective treatment comprising applying a teeth protector in theform of an arcuate channel-shaped member of U-shaped cross sectiondefined by a bottom wall and upstanding, spaced, side walls comprising afront wall and a back wall within which is deposited a matrix ofimpressionable material capable of curing to a rubber-like consistency,to the teeth to cause the teeth to become indented in the matrix,allowing the matrix to set to hold the teeth protector in place duringtreatment and, following such treatment, removing the teeth protector bypeeling the portions of the between the slots, one by one away from thematrix and thereafter peeling the matrix from the teeth.